Review: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

A Hilarious Love Letter to Video Games

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: December 20th, 2017 – U.S.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy

Running Time: 119 minutes

Director: Jake Kasdan

Writers: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, 

Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner

Cast: The Rock, Kevin Hart, 

Jack Black, Karen Gillan, 

Rhys Darby, Bobby Cannavale, 

Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Ser'Darius Blain, 

Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, 

Missi Pyle, Marc Evan Jackson 

"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is an unapologetic love letter to video games that left me laughing almost nonstop.

The film begins with four high school kids getting detention: shy nerd Spencer (Alex Wolff), stocky football star Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain, whose character seems like an obvious nod to NFL player William "The Refrigerator" Perry), socially-awkward loner Martha (Morgan Turner), and vapid teen queen Instagram addict Bethany (Madison Iseman).

There are a couple of fun adult cameos, with Marc Evan Jackson as the principal (he's perhaps best known for his role as Shaun from "The Good Place," playing the same type of dryly entertaining character here) and Missi Pyle ("Dodgeball") as the coach.

As punishment, the children are forced to clean the school basement. There, they discover a dusty old video game system. The cartridge included is, of course, "Jumanji." As soon as they press "Start" on the controller, they're suddenly inside the game, where they literally turn into the characters they just selected.

• Geeky Spencer becomes musclebound action hero Dr. Smolder Bravestone (The Rock).
• Imposing football star Fridge shrinks into a mini-refrigerator, embodying the much shorter and scrawnier form of zoologist Franklin "Mouse" Finbar (Kevin Hart).
• Bookish outcast Martha morphs into buxom Lara Croft wannabe Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan), complete with a tight top and overly short pants that could work nowhere else but in an over-the-top action movie or video game like "Jumanji." (Luckily for them – and us – "Welcome to the Jungle" is both.)
• And – most hilariously of all – phone-addicted queen bee Bethany transforms into Professor Shelly Oberon (Jack Black), not realizing until it's too late that Shelly is actually short for Sheldon.

"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" smartly spends several minutes allowing the kids to explore their new bodies, characters, and abilities. It's hysterically funny watching them to react to such an unimaginable situation.

But the real fun comes from the way "Jumanji" inhabits the world of a video game, with amusing nods to all of the quirks and idiosyncrasies gamers take for granted that are bizarre in any other context.

Almost every video game has a "life bar." So, too, does this one – in the form of disappearing tattoos on the characters' wrists. There are also pop-up menus in most games that display important information. In the world of "Jumanji," a character can press on his or her pec like a button to bring up a list of skills, strengths, and weaknesses – the funniest of which are cake (weakness) and dance fighting (strength). Naturally, death is never final in any game – unless you're down to your last life. Like many video games, dying in "Jumanji" takes the form of a quick explosion – poof! they're gone – and then the character falls down from the sky to play again. Real-word logic and physics don't apply here, just as they don't in many games. There are also "NPCs" – non-player characters – who repeat the same scripted, stilted dialogue whether appropriate or not. The most amusing of these is their tour guide, Nigel (Rhys Darby).

All of this will seem like a foreign language to anyone who has never picked up a video game controller, but any gamer reading this will smile in recognition.

The Rock, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black do an incredible job of portraying confused, scared kids who are stuck in new bodies and trapped inside a video game. They may be adults in the world of "Jumanji" but they're still really children. That has its benefits too, though, because Spencer can use his gaming skills to progress from "level" to "level" with the goal of getting everyone back home to the real world. As much as I love The Rock and Kevin Hart (I hope they do 20 more movies together), and as great as Karen Gillan is here, the underrated Jack Black steals the show as a shallow teenage girl who now has to contend with being a fat middle-aged man.

As the fearful foursome progresses, they eventually run into two other major characters. Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough (Nick Jonas) seems like a heroic fighter pilot but he's really another kid named Alex who is also stuck in the game. He's down to his last "life" and afraid to move forward because a tough "level" has claimed his previous" lives." They all have to contend with the villainous Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale), who is the "final boss" – another video game staple.

"Welcome to the Jungle" comes 22 years after 1995's "Jumanji." but it's a standalone "sequel" that requires no knowledge of the original. However, there is one reference to Robin Williams' character, Alan Parrish, from the first film. There are also nods to The Rock's other career – as a professional wrestler. In an action scene, we see The Rock's finishing move, the Rock Bottom, and his character refers to himself in the third person at one point like The Rock always did in the WWE. All of that is right in line with the clever winks provided throughout.

"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is the rare example of an action-comedy that's smartly written, has clever characterization, and is actually funny. It's the perfect movie to see when you need to take your mind off your problems and simply laugh in the dark for two hours. 

Review: Pain & Gain

Over Two Hours of Pain I'll Never Gain Back

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: April 26, 2013 – U.S.

Rating: R

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama

Running Time: 129 minutes

Director: Michael Bay

Writers: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely 

(screenplay), Pete Collins (magazine articles)

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, 

Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, 

Rob Corddry, Bar Paly, Rebel Wilson, Ken Jeong, 

Michael Rispoli, Keili Lefkovitz, Emily Rutherfurd

"Pain & Gain" seemingly has so much going for it: great actors, memorable performances, an over-the-top plot with wild action to match, and it's based on a true story (clearly embellished, but still). Yet, somehow, the majority of it feels like an absolute slog to get through. Similar to the steroid abusers it depicts, it's big and bloated for no reason. Big, bloated, and boring.

Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) is a personal trainer at Miami's Sun Gym. Find the biggest, "trendiest" fitness center in any city, and they'll all be the same: Half of the customers will be grotesque muscleheads who can't resist the sight of their own reflection while the other half will be a mixture of fat women, out-of-shape middle-aged men, and the elderly. Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub, "Monk") falls into the latter category. He's a 50-something-year-old rich Jew who doesn't really consider himself a gym guy. In case we're unclear on any of these points, he wears a gold Star of David necklace, brags about his finances incessantly, and isn't exactly matching Walhberg's character move-for-move in the muscle or fitness department.

Lugo wants his piece of the "American dream." He gets paid well, but not well enough. In his mind, he deserves more. He comes up with an idea and convinces his roided-up, limp-dicked co-worker, Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie), to join him. Together, they recruit Paul Doyle (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), a recovering alcoholic ex-con who's also a Born Again Christian. In case we're unclear on any of those points, he quotes Alcoholics Anonymous, talks about his past in prison, and has a giant gold cross around his neck that swings like bling-bling.

Their plan: to kidnap Kershaw and steal his money.

Up until this point, "Pain & Gain" is good fun. The characters are appealing and the movie doesn't appear to take itself too seriously at first. Unfortunately, the kidnapping scenario is too long, too dark, and just too dull. It drags the film down a cliff from which it never really recovers. With that said, there is one memorable scene in this stretch of the story – involving the respective religious beliefs of Doyle and Kershaw.

In fact, there are a lot of good little moments here and there – you could create a highlight reel of them – but the movie itself never seems to come together.

Several notable comedic actors are cast in strong supporting roles: Ken Jeong (Chow in the "Hangover" movies) shows up as one of those cheesy infomercial speakers who inspires Lugo with clichéd affirmations, Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy in "Pitch Perfect") plays a medical professional who helps Anthony Mackie's character in more ways than one, and Rob Corddry ("Warm Bodies") appears as the owner of the gym who gets a little too involved in his employees' dealings.

Later on, Ed Harris jumps into the action as a retired P.I. and Emily Rutherfurd is memorable as his much younger, very plucky wife.

The three stars of the film – Mark Wahlberg, The Rock, and Anthony Mackie – are all superb. Wahlberg does a tremendous job of conveying his steroid-fueled anger, sheer desperation, and sociopathic lack of concern for all the wrong he's done. The Rock delivers what may be the best performance of his career. He completely disappears into the role. It's a shame he didn't have a better movie to work with. Mackie is his usual solid self. He credibly handles certain characteristics that would have killed a lesser actor.

"Pain & Gain" features wonderful acting, great characters, fast action, and big moments that will remain etched in your memory – but despite all of that, the final product is somehow much less than the sum of its parts.

It just doesn't work.

Like the decaying brain of a steroid junkie, Michael Bay's latest film may be a case of too much flash and not enough substance.

• The original magazine articles by Pete Collins: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

Review: Snitch

The Rock: Father, Husband, Drug Informant

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: February 22, 2013 – U.S.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action, Drama

Running Time: 112 minutes

Director: Ric Roman Waugh

Writers: Justin Haythe, Ric Roman Waugh

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, 

Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, 

Michael K. Williams, Rafi Gavron, 

Melina Kanakaredes, Nadine Velazquez, 

Benjamin Bratt

"Snitch" is an action-drama with something to say. An unusual combination. It ends with a damning statistic: "The average sentence for a first time non-violent drug offender convicted under the federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws..." Pause for dramatic effect. "...is now longer than the average sentence for rape, child molestation, bank robbery and manslaughter."  The rest of the movie does everything it can to make its message as persuasive as possible. There is definitely an agenda being driven here, but it never feels heavy-handed. At its core, "Snitch" is still an entertaining spectacle with gang shootouts and "Spy Hunter"-style car chases – but it also features great actors tackling tough topics.

It begins with a dopey, naïve 18-year-old boy reluctantly agreeing to accept a suspicious package from his so-called friend. As soon as Jason Matthews (Rafi Gavron) opens the box, DEA agents swarm the house and arrest him for drug possession with intent to distribute. The charge carries with it a minimum ten-year sentence.

But the kid's father is played by The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), so you know heads are going to roll! John Matthews (Johnson) will do whatever it takes to free his son. He pleads his boy's case to a prominent district attorney, Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon), who is staunchly against drugs and has her eye on a congressional seat.

John offers to go undercover and pose as a drug dealer in exchange for his son's release. He owns a truck company and can easily use his rigs to distribute "product." In reality, he'll be an informant – a "snitch" – to help Joanne bring down a major narcotics operation.

He just needs an introduction into that world. He turns to one of his employees with a criminal past: Daniel (Jon Bernthal) used to associate with a local dealer named Malik (Michael K. Williams), but he has put all of that behind him for the sake of his wife and son.

A DEA agent, Cooper (Barry Pepper), and a drug kingpin nicknamed "El Topo" (a lethal Benjamin Bratt), get involved along the way.

The acting is strong for the most part. The outspokenly liberal Sarandon portrays a Republican politician with a bitchy relish that's fun to watch. Pepper is almost unrecognizable in his role; it's hard to believe that this is the same actor who played a cocksure stockbroker in "25th Hour." It's a great performance. Bernthal is fantastic as a desperate ex-con who finds himself dragged back into his old life.

The Rock, on the other hand, portrays a regular husband, father, and business-owner. The problem is: he's not really any of those things. He's a former WWE Champion who became famous by being brash, over-the-top, and in your face. He doesn't excel when he's forced to play ordinary characters – because it's not really a natural fit for him. As a result, his line-delivery can sometimes come across as stilted and overly-rehearsed. However, he's wonderful expressing emotions and conveying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He knows how to make an audience root for him. His years as a pro wrestler taught him that skill, and he carries it with him to the silver screen.

The role of Jason, the son, is another weak spot. Rafi Gavron's performance is fine, but his character isn't given enough development to generate much sympathy from the audience. More often than not, I shook my head at the boy's stubborn stupidity. Actions that are meant to be "noble" come across instead as childishly rebellious.  

While the situation wasn't entirely his fault, all I kept thinking was, this spoiled dope fiend has ruined multiple lives with his irresponsible actions. Perhaps his character can return for a sequel that takes on another controversial topic – the pro-choice movement might work, because his existence is a pretty good argument for abortion.

Despite some faults, the message is still effective and the experience is entertaining. You know where it's going at all times, but the fun is in getting there.

Family is one of the film's central themes. John and Daniel are husbands and fathers who simply want to protect the people they love. Through them, "Snitch" examines the heavy toll the drug industry takes on families.